Lots of owners are frustrated by cats scratching the new couch, ripping threads from the carpet or making a mess of the doors. So they buy Fluffy a scratching post. Scratching posts are great – cats love them. They simulate getting to mark trees and sharpen claws. The downside – Fluffy now has sharp claws to use on the new couch.

Solution – let’s trim Fluffy’s claws! First let’s look at the inside of a claw:

The aim of trimming is to take the tip of the claw off and not cut the quick. It is best to trim just 1-2 mm of the claw tip every couple of weeks if you are new to trimming. As you get more confident you will realise how much you can trim and probably only need to trim every 6-8 weeks.

If you press on each pad in turn the claw will move forward and is much easier to trim.

If your cat is a wriggler, think about just trimming one or two claws then give your cat a treat. It is better to stop when you are going well. This makes trimming a positive experience. If you stop after Fluffy has turned into a hissing and biting ball of fury this will be the behaviour you’ll be likely to see in future before the clipping process has really progressed. It will be aimed, of course, at getting you to stop before you’ve started.

As for clippers, we all have our favourites. They don’t need to be expensive. Just make sure they feel comfortable in your hand so you can trim confidently.

If this all sounds a little daunting, get a confident cat person like your vet or one of the team at Divine Creatures to show you – this is a great skill to have and may save your couch!